Tony Alburquerque was born in the Dominican Republic in February 1956. He grew up in the capital city of Santo Domingo with his parents and three younger siblings. After the Dominican Civil War, the Albuquerque family moved to Puerto Rico.

Albuquerque always knew he wanted to work in the field of medicine because his father owned a pharmacy, and the children were always fascinated watching their dad prepare medications. He went to medical school and later worked for a community hospital in Puerto Rico in the mid-80s. It was during his time at this community hospital that he was recruited to come work in the States.

It was the federal medical prison next to the Springfield Botanical Gardens that brought Albuquerque to Missouri in 1989. The prison hired him as an interpreter and then later as a physician’s assistant. He met his wife, JoAnn, in Springfield, and the two were married in 1991.

Albuquerque says his biggest mission in life was to become a doctor, and that the most rewarding part of his life is to take care of sick people and see them get better as a result of his treatment.

__________________________________________________________________________

Read all of Albuquerque's story and the rest of the Ethnic Life Stories Project stories by clicking here.

Follow Friends of the gardens on social media! We post park events, promos, and announcements of new ELSTOT releases on our Facebook and Instagram.

Find out more about Friends of the Garden by visiting our website, friendsofthegarden.org.

Interested in supporting the 501(c)3 nonprofit that maintains and enhances the gardens and trails at the Springfield Botanical Gardens? Find out more by clicking here.

Music is Bach Cello Suite no. 3 by Colin Carr from the Free Music Archive.

Episodes are edited, recorded, mixed, and published by Diana Dudenhoeffer.